Friday, September 23, 2016

Watching movies at home used to be a trade-off between the big
screen and massive sound of a movie theater. Those days are gone because big
screen TVs are now available and movies, whether taken off of a 4K
Blu-ray player or streamed through the Internet, can now be seen in
high resolution also. But sound is also important, and that’s where surround
sound comes in.

Surround sound at home requires not just a pair of front left and
right speakers (stereo), but also a front center speaker (for dialogue) as well
as a pair of left and right speakers at the side of the listener. This, along
with a subwoofer gives you what is called a 5.1
audio sound system: a total of four speakers are conveying the
sound, along with the subwoofer which handles the very low bass frequencies.
Together this provides a surround sound effect that is more satisfying and
enjoyable than the old days where the best you could hope for was stereo coming
from two speakers in front of you.

But just as the TVs
have improved in size and quality reproduction, so too has the audio
enhancement been improved. This is called Dolby Atmos and it enhances what is
now “conventional” surround sound audio by making it flow around you in
three-dimensional space where all of the original sound mix is reproduced in
realistic fashion.Here’s a simple
example: a helicopter in surround sound can be heard in front and to the sides
as it moves, but add Atmos and now you hear it moving all around you, not just
in a few predetermined locations defined by the speaker setup. That means
hearing it overhead as well as in all the ways that the “real” sound would be
heard if you were standing in its midst. Does this mean a more amazing sound
experience for viewers? For sure. Here’s how it all gets put together.

The Hardware

Dolby Atmos is a new technology and so must be built into the
system that conveys the sound signal to the speakers. This means you must have
a new AV
Receiver (audio-video receiver) that has been designed with Dolby
Atmos from the get-go; it isn’t possible to add the Atmos technology through
any kind of update to an existing receiver so that option is unfortunately off
the table.

The Speakers

There are three methods for getting Dolby Atmos besides the
obvious one of getting all new speakers that are Dolby Atmos-compatible. The
first two methods rely on adding speakers to the already surround sound setup,
with the first method being to add in-ceiling speakers that provide overhead
sound. The second method is to add speakers that reflect sound off of the
ceiling — these speakers are placed on top of front and rear speakers. The
third method is a single-speaker solution that also takes care of the AV
Receiver — this is a Sound
Bar which is designed with upward firing drivers to reflect sound
down from the ceiling towardsyour
listening position.

The Content

To play a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, you need a movie that has the
technology built into it. There are online services offering this, but since Blu-ray
players are compatible (you don’t need to buy a special one), the
most convenient way is to get the disc that has it built-in. These are
commercially available and include such titles as American Sniper, 13 Hours:
The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, The Fifth Element, Enders Game among others.
Getting a high definition disc that has Dolby Atmos embedded in it guarantees
that, short of an electrical outage, you won’t be disturbed in your viewing of
it.

Having a surround sound system at home makes watching movies and
TV a treat and is why a home theater is so attractive over that of going to the
movies. Plus the cost of snacks is significantly less, especially if you go
back for seconds.